


When He Could Figure Erica Out

by megankelly



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-06
Updated: 2012-08-06
Packaged: 2017-11-11 13:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/478978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megankelly/pseuds/megankelly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place immediately after episode 2x08. After the rave, Stiles drives Erica home. Both are prepared for an uncomfortable ride, but actually find a lot to talk about, like why Erica's been so quiet all night, her role in the pack, and, oh yeah, that thing she told him in the hallway about having a crush on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When He Could Figure Erica Out

Derek and Scott were nowhere to be found, leaving Stiles, Erica, and Isaac standing there, quiet and anxious, outside of the warehouse. 

“I’m sure Scott’s okay,” Erica said. She wasn’t looking directly at Stiles, but Stiles knew it was meant for him. “If Derek’s with him, he’ll be fine.”

Stiles sighed because Erica actually believed that—actually believed in Derek and that, with him, things couldn’t possibly go too wrong. But Stiles had been dealing with this werewolf stuff long enough to know that Derek was no guarantee of anyone’s safety—including Erica’s. But he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“How long are we going to wait here doing nothing?” Isaac asked. 

“I don’t know. Shouldn’t Derek be sending you some wolf sign or something?”

Isaac and Erica both shrugged, just as Stiles’s phone buzzed. He grabbed it from his pocket and saw a text from Scott. He clicked it. It read: Scott will be okay. W/ Deaton. Get everyone home. –Derek “Or you know, this works too,” he said, showing them the text. “I guess we should get out of here. Um, do you guys need rides home?”

“I want to go back with you,” Erica said to Isaac.

“You can’t risk making your parents suspicious when they don’t have to be,” Isaac said, touching her arm. 

For some reason, the way they interacted—their intimacy—made Stiles uncomfortable. Was it a were-sibling type of thing? A flirty thing? A couple thing? That’s probably what made him nervous—that he couldn’t figure it out. 

He liked when he could figure Erica out. He liked when he was able to tell that her coming on to Scott was clearly some type of act, some sort of strategy. He thought that was what it had been with him outside of Boyd’s house. He thought she wouldn’t prove too confusing—until that whole, “I used to have the worst crush in the world on you,” thing. 

Erica sighed. “Yeah, okay.” 

“I’m gonna run back,” Isaac said.

“But Isaac,” Erica said. 

There was something pleading in Erica’s tone, and Stiles didn’t bother being offended because he really didn’t want to drive Erica home alone. Isaac just sort of smirked at her, giving Stiles the distinct impression that he was teasing Erica—about him. Which made Stiles even more uncomfortable. Then Isaac was off, doing that weird werewolf-run that always made Stiles want to laugh. 

“So, uh, I guess we should head to the Jeep.” 

“Yeah,” Erica said.

They walked towards the Jeep, and Stiles was surprised by how close Erica was staying to him, so close that sometimes her hand strayed against his. It made him nervous, but he thought it meant she trusted him. At least, she had seemed to trust him inside the warehouse—staying close to him when Jackson was being possessed, listening to what Stiles had to say.

Neither of them spoke as they got in. 

Erica let out something that sounded like a whimper as she rested against the seat. She ran her hand through her hair. Stiles looked at her as he turned on the ignition. She seemed worn out, and it unsettled him. Ever since the bite, she’d been nothing but fierce, in-your-face ultra-confidence. Tonight she looked tired and young and scared. Not that he could blame her. She’d be stupid not to feel like any of those things. He felt all of those things too. 

“Do you know Brookmill Road?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” he said.

She closed her eyes as they left the warehouse and headed onto the road. 

He wasn’t exactly in the most talkative mood, either, not with Scott almost dying, not with their plan failing, and certainly not with his dad being fired, but Erica’s silence was unnerving. 

“You’ve been awfully quiet,” he said. “Like, all night. I don’t think you actually said a single thing when we were in the warehouse.” 

“I know. It’s just—I hate that stupid thing.”

“The kanima?”

She nodded, eyes still closed. 

“Well, you’re not alone on that front.”

“I keep asking Derek why my body reacted that way, with the seizure. He keeps brushing me off. He doesn’t know—I know he doesn’t know—but he won’t just say that, you know. It’s always, Erica, I’m busy, or Erica, you need to stop thinking about that and focus on training. But how am I supposed to stop thinking about it? I thought I was cured, and I mean, I have to be cured, right? I was fine in a rave! But, well…I don’t know. I guess it just—it just scares me.”

“You did a really good job, considering-”

Erica laughed. “What did I do, Stiles? I danced. I was a distraction. I was hot. I didn’t accomplish a single thing. I didn’t knock out Jackson. I didn’t fight the hunters with Boyd and Derek. I didn’t do whatever weird magic-y thing you did with the ash. I didn’t—I didn’t do anything. I haven’t done anything! Derek keeps giving me these jobs that are practically built for someone who can’t do anything. Just seduce Scott, Erica, and get him to join the pack. That was my one big job, and I didn’t even do that. And he totally didn’t choose me to come intimidate you at the pool because I’m the most menacing. I’m sure he did it because he thought my boobs would fluster you or something. And the only times I’ve ever tried to actually do something—any time I’ve tried to fight—it’s gone horribly. Scott kicked my butt and Isaac’s, no problem at all. Allison paralyzed me with an arrow. I’m failing. The most I’ve done is grab Jackson from the locker room. Big whoop.” 

“You’re not failing,” Stiles said, though he wasn’t sure how true that was. They kind of were all failing. 

“I just want Derek to trust me likes he trusts Boyd and Isaac. To do the big stuff. To come with him to your stupid meetings at Deaton’s. To be his right hand person when he’s confronting the Argents. To fight.” 

Stiles surprised himself by saying, “Well, wasn’t he going to let you guys kill Lydia?” as if that was a positive thing. 

“But that was with Isaac. And Derek knows that he hates Lydia and totally would've taken the lead, when it came time to, well, you know. I don’t want to have to be paired with Isaac to-”

“To kill someone?”

“No, to do whatever it is that I have to do, to protect people, to protect our pack. I just…I want to do more. But you saw me tonight. That thing terrifies me, Stiles. Maybe I can’t do more. After that seizure—maybe I am more vulnerable than they are. I don’t know.”

“This does not sound like the Erica I know.”

“You don’t know me, Stiles,” she pointed out. 

Her tone wasn’t even harsh, but for some reason, Stiles felt the sting.

“I’m just saying, you don’t seem like the type of person who’s going to let anyone—even yourself—limit what you can do. And you especially don’t seem like the type of person who’s going to let Derek Hale limit you.”

“What am I supposed to do? Derek’s the Alpha. Tell him, I know you have a bunch of hunters trying to kill you and a supernatural, homicidal lizard on your plate but why don’t you move better utilizing my skills—which by the way, I’m not sure what they are— up on your list of priorities?”

Stiles was surprised at the turn this conversation had taken. He felt a bit like pack therapist, but this was comfortable for him—having to deal with other people’s problems. He generally preferred that to dealing with problems of his own, and it made this car ride alone with Erica feel a lot less awkward. 

“Yes. Tell him exactly that! If we’re going to save Jackson and also manage not to get you all killed by the Argents, we need everyone doing absolutely everything that they can do—and that includes you.”

Once the words were out, he realized their implications. Erica doing absolutely everything that she could do—that meant a lot more danger for her. At some point it would probably mean wolfsbane bullets and being sprawled out, near death, on Deaton’s table.

He didn’t want anyone facing that, but some strange, visceral reaction was happening inside him when he imagined it happening to Erica. He thought of her scream as Derek attempted to activate the healing process. He thought of her shaking in the library, of her passed out in his arms in the lair. All the worry that had been coursing through him then rushed back, and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. 

He wasn’t supposed to care this much about Erica. He, as Erica herself had pointed out, hardly knew her.

Meanwhile, Erica seemed carefree, actually giggling at him. “You really need to stop, Stiles.”

“Stop what?”

She grinned. “Saying things that make me actually not hate you.” 

He checked his speedometer, scratched behind his ear. He wasn’t sure if he should bring it up, but he really wanted to. He couldn’t not be curious about a girl liking him. As far as he was aware, this was the first time it ever happened. It could be the only time it would ever happen in the history of earth! 

So he said it, his words rushing together: “Speaking of, um, not hating me, we never really got a chance to, uh, talk about that thing you said the other day. You know, in the hall.” 

“That I used to have a crush on you?” Erica was saying it matter-of-factly, but he noticed that she was looking out the window, not at him. 

“Yeah, that.”

“What is there to say? I liked you, and you didn’t notice me. Nobody did. It’s in the past.”

“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t notice, like, anyone, besides-”

“Besides Lydia, I know. And Stiles, I don’t need you making me feel better about it. I’m a big girl, I’m over it. Plus, if I really wanted you, and like, put some effort into it, I’m betting I could have you like that.” She snapped her fingers. 

“Now this is the Erica I’m familiar with.” Then he added defiantly: “And also, I doubt it.” 

“Want me to give it a try?” she said, slipping into a more seductive tone of voice. 

His leg shook as Erica’s hand moved towards his neck because he may not have understood all of his feelings towards Erica (and was still maintaining that there were no feelings whatsoever), but he did understand that she was hot and that it would feel good, her hand on his neck, and that some attention-starved part of him really liked that she had a crush on him, liked it a lot, liked that she had called him her “Batman” and liked that she saw him as someone important in this whole werewolf mess. 

Erica’s fingers barely grazed the hairs on his neck before she pulled her hand away, laughing in a way that was more embarrassed than amused. She covered half her face with her hand. “Sorry, I just—I guess that’s my instinct now. I like you, Stiles. Like, as a person. I don’t want to…what is it you told me I do? Destroy people because of my Alpha bite makeover? I won’t mess with you or play with you or—I don’t know what you want to call it. Even if I think we’d both have fun.”

Stiles just stammered. 

Erica smirked. “That’s my house, the brick one on the left.”

Stiles didn’t say anything. He was wishing that he was back in that advisor role he felt comfortable with, instead the flirted-with-person which he never was, until just then, and didn’t know how to be. 

“I think I am going to talk to Derek,” she said as they pulled to a stop in front of her house. “I may be the most gorgeous one in the pack, and I have no problem using that, but I’m also strong and gutsy and a million other things. So what if I’m scared of the kanima, right? Who isn’t? But I can do more than dance up on Jackson at a rave—even if I’m great at that.” 

She opened the door and jumped out of the jeep. Before walking over to her house, she stopped at Stiles’s side of the Jeep, resting her elbows on the window. 

“And the seducing thing is fun, don’t get me wrong, but I’m getting a little tired of it. I think right now romancing might be more my speed.” 

Stiles expected her to take it back—to make it into a joke, laugh, do something! But she was smiling at him. Smiling and blushing a little bit, like she meant it. "Thanks for the ride,” she said, and headed up the steps to her house.

Once she was inside, Stiles started breathing normally; for a few seconds, his breath had been caught in his throat. Which he really, really didn’t want to analyze—but he couldn’t help but ponder it a little. After all, he had never had this type of feeling for anyone except for Lydia Martin. He wasn’t even sure what type of feeling it was, really. Except that being alone with Erica had managed to be both comfortable and uncomfortable, that it had been surprising and nerve-wracking and enticing and some part of him wanted more of it. More of her.

Stiles told himself he would sort it out later—after the kanima was destroyed, after Jackson was saved, after things calmed down with the hunters. That was assuming, of course, that both of them lived through all that. 

Another road of thought he didn’t want to drive any further down. He spent the ride to Deaton’s trying to think of anything and everything else.


End file.
